1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a recording medium which records various types of information such as sound, images or text as an optically readable coded image, and a coded image reading apparatus which optically reads the coded image from the recording medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heretofore, the technique of recording various types of information such as sound, images, or text that can be handled by a computer as an optically readable coded image typified by a one-dimensional or two-dimensional barcode or the like on a recording medium such as paper has been already known in, for example, Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 6-231466 and so forth.
The recording medium disclosed in the publication makes it possible to provide a user with a wider variety of information by a synergistic effect of information which functions as a readable image which a human being can visually, directly read (or understand), such as a general character, symbol, figure or pattern or a photographic image recorded on the medium, and various types of information contained in a dot code which functions as a coded image into which the readable image is coded, and therefore the recording medium is expected to be used in various fields such as toy applications and educational applications toward the future information age.
However, this type of coded image including the dot code disclosed in the above-mentioned Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 6-231466 does not contain information indicative of a record location at which the coded image is recorded on the recording medium, and therefore it is impossible to devise various schemes for reading the coded image in accordance with the record location of the coded image.
When such a coded image is provided for a user in a form in which the coded image is formed on a recording medium such as a card or paper for the user's convenience, easy-to-follow as well as proper instructions are required for practical use because of an increasing tendency that the proper way to use the recording medium, more specifically, how to output and reproduce information from the recording medium, etc., becomes complicated according to the type of arrangement of the recording medium and the combination of functions thereof.
The invention is designed to overcome the foregoing problems. It is an object of the invention to provide a recording medium which makes it possible to devise various schemes for the reading of an optically readable coded image in accordance with a record location at which the coded image is recorded on the recording medium, and which enables a user to make simple and proper use of the recording medium, and a coded image reading apparatus for reading the coded image from the recording medium.